The invention relates to an arrangement for moving and cooling sensitive and perishable goods especially sliced raw vegetables, raw lettuce and mushrooms using an inclined auger with a feeding hopper.
Raw vegetables and raw lettuce, also sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, paprika, radishes, carrots, red beets, cabbage, water cress, etc. must not only be immediately processed after cutting but they must also be kept refrigerated. The various products arrive at a processing station in a refrigerated state while the processing station itself is maintained essentially at normal room temperature. After processing--cleaning, washing, cutting--the various vegetables and lettuce which, meanwhile, have assumed almost room temperature, must again be cooled down to a temperature of 1.degree. C. to 4.degree. C. At the same time, it is desirable to mix various vegetables for preparing vegetable mixtures which are then transferred to a packaging station. The whole process after cutting, that is cooling, mixing and packaging, should be performed automatically not only because handling of the cold goods is a difficult and undesirable task for operating personnel but also because hygienic handling requirements lead to automatic processing.
In present processing plants refrigerating and a mixing of the goods represents a bottle neck since especially refrigeration of the goods requires a certain amount of time depending on the amount of the goods delivered. In the same amount of time other products may already have been cooled down and are ready for mixing wherein however the mixing can be performed only after all the various separate products have reached the necessary low temperature.
The mixing shelf is also difficult because the above mentioned foods have a high water content and therefore are easily squashed which gives them an unappetizing appearance so that they are hardly "suitable for human consumption". The mixing apparatus presently utilized can therefore accept only small amounts at a time and can process these amounts only batch-wise. During such mixing process the goods generally become undesirably warm so that bacteria infestation is substantially increased during this process.
Furthermore, the mixed goods must then by supplied to a packaging station which usually results in moving the goods to a higher location into the hopper of the packaging equipment. The transport equipment used herefor will properly move the goods as desired but it will also cause warming up of the goods to an undesirable degree. This will happen to an even less desirable degree if there is a delay somewhere in the handling process so that the raw goods cannot be continuously processed as planned.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for transporting that is for lifting and cooling and, at the same time, mixing such goods which permits not only continuous operation but also provides at the same time for refrigeration of the goods or at least for maintaining them refrigerated.